Identification and Characterization of Peer Support for Cancer Prevention and Care: A Practice Review
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Identification and Characterization of Peer Support for Cancer Prevention and Care: A Practice Review Kaitlyn E. Brodar 1,2
&
Veronica Carlisle 1,3 & Patrick Yao Tang 1 & Edwin B. Fisher 1
# American Association for Cancer Education 2020
Abstract Research across the cancer care continuum indicates peer support can improve patient outcomes, yet little is known about how cancer peer support programs are implemented in practice. This study aimed to describe cancer peer support programs in “real world” (i.e., non-research) settings. A web search identified 100 programs in a wide variety of settings and locations; 48 published contact information on their website and were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Twenty-nine program leaders participated. From the interviews, we observed eight primary themes, which centered on challenges and responses regarding training and content of peer support services as well as program organization and support. Obstacles include inconsistent funding, reliance on volunteers, and physician concerns about peer supporters’ advice to patients, while increasing diversity, reach, and accessibility are future priorities. Peer support should be recognized and funded as a routine part of cancer care in order to expand its reach and address priorities such as increasing the diversity of supporters and those they help. Keywords Cancer peer support programs . Peer supporters . Support seekers . Cancer centers
Introduction Peer support (PS) provided by “community health workers,” “lay health advisors,” “promotores,” “patient navigators,” “peer supporters,” and individuals with a number of other designations has been shown effective in enhancing linkages to care and attending to the dynamic conditions of realworld circumstances that influence health behavior [14, 15, 20]. Although medical care and self-management programs may help individuals understand what to do to stay healthy, individuals often find themselves disconnected from
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-020-01861-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Edwin B. Fisher [email protected] 1
Peers for Progress, Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 336A Rosenau Hall, CB #7400, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7400, USA
2
Department of Psychology, University of Miami, 5665 Ponce de Leon Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146-0751, USA
3
Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
resources and emotional support needed to initiate and sustain behavior change. PS addresses this gap by offering emotional, social, and practical assistance for achieving and sustaining complex disease management or lifestyle changes and for enhancing quality of life [6, 23]. PS can complement and enhance other health care services to improve patients’ adherence to treatment regimens, motivation, and ability to co
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